Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Pechanga Compacts: Investigation NOT Ratification

The road to ratification of tribal casino expansion deals leading to Sacramento and of the largest expansion of gambling in American history is littered with private deals, silenced communities, co-opted police, media, local governments and elected officials who have been summarily bought-off.An investigation is what is needed into the negotiation and ratification of tribal gambling compacts and the Office of the Attorney General should be calling for one. One problem. The AG's office is playing politics like the rest of our elected officials. Turns out the Attorney General's office is busy assisting the Governor with his privately brokered multi-billion dollar tribal gambling deals.What the state plans on doing to enforce compacts with 5 powerful Indian gambling tribes that operate outside of U.S. Constitutional law is a mystery to us all. Straight answers - any answers - would be helpful to the citizens of California.Although the Attorney General's office is skeptical as to enforceability when they admitted compacts are difficult to enforce because of the "sovereign nation" status of tribes, the Assembly is still moving full speed ahead.

OP: Readers, please remember that the AG is not investigating the recent firing of a Pechanga Casino manager, who is the son of former Pechanga Tribal Spokesman Jennie Miranda. Why isn't this public? He not only cheated Pechanga, but the employees, who are CALIFORNIA citizens. And of course, the state, who lost some taxable income from the employees who didn't receive all their tips. WHERE is the news on this? THESE are the people (Pechanga) that we will TRUST to tell us how much they earned?